Some 11 Catholic and Protestant charities have signed a letter to the Charity Commission after they were labelled as “anti-rights organisations” in a now-withdrawn Amnesty International UK report.
The letter was led by Alliance Defending Freedom, stating that it sought to “set the record straight” on the “range of sweeping generalisations, allegations and inaccuracies” contained within the report.
The Amnesty report - A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK – defined anti-rights actors as “formal and informal groups, individuals, private and state actors whose aim is to restrict human rights by undermining human rights protections in law and practice.” It characterised the organisations as forming part of a wider “anti-rights ecosystem” that works to “roll back human rights protections”. The report then called on the Charity Commission, to whom the letter is addressed, to review the awarding of charitable status to such organisations.
The July 28 letter read: “The report targets 117 organisations with vastly different missions and philosophical underpinnings, describing these as “an ecosystem sharing values, goals, strategy and tactics”. This is false. The condemned organisations include Christian charities and news outlets, professional bodies, medical associations, grassroots groups, organisations supporting women fleeing sexual abuse or facing crisis pregnancies, those advocating for sex-based rights, and others.”
Included in the list of “anti-rights movements” were the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Catholic Herald, the Catholic Medical Association and Beira’s Place, an Edinburgh-based sexual assault support centre founded by JK Rowling.
The letter called the report’s characterisations “a lazy generalisation”, stating that “in most cases, the only thing these organisations share is disagreement with Amnesty International UK’s position on a handful of contested questions relating to the value of preborn human life, human sexuality, or the immutability of sex”.
It stated: “We also want to correct the report’s characterisation of our work as “anti-rights” and seeking to “challenge core human rights principles”. Several of our organisations exist specifically to protect the fundamental freedoms that have formed the bedrock of democratic society for centuries, have deep roots in Christian thought, and are enshrined in international human rights frameworks.”
The letter asked the Charity Commission to reaffirm that charities are entitled to engage in public debate on contested moral questions without being mischaracterised as a threat to human rights by other charities and that Christian charities make a legitimate and valuable contribution to public life.
“Amnesty International UK’s comment after the report’s withdrawal asserts that “human rights protections are strongest when they apply equally to everyone, [and] no community should be singled out for unfair treatment or denied their dignity and rights.” We agree with that principle without qualification – and it is precisely the principle according to which Amnesty should review its own work,” it read.
The letter also cited other instances of Amnesty International UK calling for censorship, and that it had “repeatedly engaged in vilifying organisations” that hold Christian beliefs.
It was signed by 11 Christian organisations, including the Catholic Medical Association, Christian Action, Research and Education (CARE) and the Christian Concern and Christian Legal Centre.
Robert Clarke, Director of Advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom, said that although the report was withdrawn, “the bias behind it hasn’t gone away”.
He said: “The report was riddled with sweeping generalisations and glaring inaccuracies, targeting for censorship organisations that have in common only their disagreement with Amnesty. It’s right that it was withdrawn, but the fact remains that it – and similar pieces – was commissioned, written, and published in the first place.
“And that makes it bigger than just one report: it's about whether people of faith can speak freely in public life without being smeared as extremists for holding mainstream Christian convictions. A free society doesn't police belief, and human rights organisations shouldn’t call for censorship. We have asked the Charity Commission to affirm what should be clear: Christian organisations are not a threat to be managed, but partners in pursuing the public good.”
Following the removal of the report, Amnesty International said in a statement that it regretted that the briefing was published “without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK's positions”.
“Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed,” it said. It concluded with Amnesty International reaffirming its commitment to “defending human rights, including both the rights of women and the rights of trans people”.
